The residents of Kisumu are set to plant trees every 10th day of the month in a drive to plant three million trees in three years to improve the City’s aesthetics.
This is after Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong’o issued the executive order through his administration after unveiling the drive to plant trees to improve the city's forest cover.
“This is envisaged to give impetus to the collective mobilisation and active participation of all stakeholders in driving this agenda,” he said.
The Governor said the drive is through the partnerships between Kisumu County, AAR Kenya, Kisumu Environmental Champions, the Judiciary, Standard Chartered Bank and the University of Nairobi.
“Our city currently has one of the lowest forest covers in the country at about 1.55% against a national figure of 12.13%. We must act today,” he said.
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Further, he noted that rapid urbanisation continued to exert pressure on Kisumu City’s natural resources threatening their existence.
With assistance from Standard Chartered Bank, the county administration has started establishing a three-acre tree nursery at Slaughter House in Mamboleo to meet the goal.
According to him, the nursery will raise the three million seedlings planted in the city and the surrounding area to increase the forest cover to 7% by 2027.
The Kenya Forest Service and Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) will provide technical assistance for the tree nursery's management, according to Prof. Nyong'o.
He continued by saying that the nursery will have a selection of native and exotic trees and a large range of fruit trees that may be put in homes and educational facilities.
“This initiative is critical and timely for our city as it aims to address some of the significant environmental challenges we face and promote sustainable development,” he said.
